


The Enterprise Encounter

by Womblattery



Category: Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24688771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Womblattery/pseuds/Womblattery
Summary: Captain Kirk's Enterprise meets ... Captain Pike's Enterprise! Written in the style of the early novelisations of the original Star Trek TV series, this is similar to an original Star Trek story but should also appeal to anyone who likes Star Trek: Discovery.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

_Stardate 5994.1. The_ Enterprise _is en route at high warp to the Vastan system, to attempt to rescue the colonists on Vastan III. A series of catastrophic storms and earthquakes have plagued their world ever since an unusual gravitational anomaly appeared close to their planet three weeks ago. The world is now almost uninhabitable. Starfleet Command has ordered the_ Enterprise _to quell the anomaly by any means it can, or failing that, to evacuate the 800 colonists before the planet is pulled apart._

The _Enterprise_ raced through the vast spaces between the stars at Warp Seven. James Kirk felt the thrum of the ship's engines through the arms of his chair as he sat at the center of the bridge. The best seat in the house, he reflected to himself, and with a view to match, as he watched the stars peel by on the massive viewscreen.

'Captain, receiving a hail from Vastan III,' said Lt Uhura, her voice as gentle and professional as ever.

'Put it on the main viewer, Lieutenant,' said Kirk.

The ever-shifting starfield on the viewscreen was replaced by a mess of static, accompanied by loud crackles and hisses. On her console, Uhura quickly used a dozen techniques to improve the quality of the transmission, and a man's face slowly came into view. Every member of the bridge crew looked anxiously at the viewscreen – except of course for Mr Spock. At his science station, the first officer maintained the impassive expression he had mastered with many years' practice, but still gazed steadily at the main screen. A raised eyebrow suggested that perhaps, under that Vulcan discipline, some emotion – whether concern, or simple curiosity – drew his interest to the transmission from Vastan III.

As the face came into focus, Kirk recognised the man as Hastor Telsturn, the leader of the colony and an accomplished scientist in his own right. Telsturn was speaking, but at first his words were still drowned out by noise. A few more adjustments by Uhura, and snatches of his words started to come through:

" – destroyed in the landslide. We are now relying on emergency rations. Can you hear us, _Enterprise_?"

"We can hear you now, Mr Telsturn," said Kirk calmly. "We're approaching the Vastan system now. My name is James Kirk – I'm the captain of the _Enterprise_."

"Thank God!" said Telsturn. "But listen, you can't just barrel into the system. This phenomenon, whatever it is, can send out a massive gravitational wave without warning. If you're still at warp, it'll smash your ship to pieces."

"Thank you for the warning," said Kirk. Turning to his first officer, he asked, "Isn't it the role of my science officer to warn me about such hazards, Mr Spock?"

Spock looked up from his science station. At once Kirk realised something was wrong with his first officer. Very wrong. Spock's face was always pale, but Kirk had never seen him look so white. Spock's hands were trembling. And although the Vulcan was keeping his emotions as deeply buried as always, Kirk knew him well enough to see the anguish Spock was suppressing.

Kirk signalled to Uhura to mute the communications channel, and walked over to the science station. He spoke softly. "Spock, what's wrong?"

"Vastan III," said Spock quietly to himself. "The Perozzi anomaly. I had lost track of time, Captain. But it seems time has not lost track of me."

"What does that mean, Spock?" said Kirk.

"I cannot say, Captain. I find I am caught in a neat web of my own logic."

"There's a time and a place for logic, Spock. But if you want to appeal to my reason, you're going to have to explain the emotional effect this situation has had on you."

"Captain, I would welcome that opportunity. But the dictates of duty and logic prohibit me."

"Well, damnit Spock, what can you tell me? What are we heading into in the Vastan system?"

Spock's eyes darted over his console displays, as if reading them for the first time and struggling to make sense of them. He spoke as if to himself: "Well, there can be no harm in interpreting the readings for you ..."

"No harm?" Kirk's voice nearly cracked with frustration. "I should say there'd be no harm – that's your job on this ship, and I need you to focus!"

Spock seemed to have mastered himself. "Rest assured, Captain, I will remain quite focused on my duties, until the end."

"Until the end? The end of what, Spock?"

"The phenomenon, Captain, is highly unusual, but I believe there is a focal point."

"A focal point? The gravitational disturbances are emanating from there?"

"Indeed. Undoubtedly, that point is the source of the anomaly's destructive effects. However, our scanning equipment is quite useless from outside the anomaly. We will need to enter it in order to establish how these effects can be disrupted, before Vastan III is destroyed."

"But Mr Spock – " cut in Chekov, who had been listening from the navigator's chair – "these destructive effects will be more pronounced inside the anomaly, no?"

"You are correct, Mr Chekov. Entering this phenomenon will place the _Enterprise_ and her crew at great risk."

"I know you, Spock," said Kirk quietly. "You're no coward. Don't ask me to believe you were trembling just because you realised the ship was heading into danger."

"I would not impugn your intelligence with such an assertion, Captain. But I cannot divulge more at this time."

"Then do we go into the anomaly?" asked Kirk.

"Yes, Captain," said Spock. "In the end, we were always going to."

"Now entering the Vastan system, Captain," called out Sulu.

Kirk moved quickly back to his chair. "Bring us out of warp, Lieutenant. Ahead full impulse. Raise shields, and take us into the phenomenon."

All eyes were on the viewscreen as the anomaly grew before them, with strange, random flashes of light amid a distorted starfield. No-one spoke as they moved forward, until the ship started to judder around them. Kirk gripped the armrests of his chair, and the rest of the bridge crew held tight to their consoles.

"Shields down to forty per cent, Captain!" cried Chekov.

"We keep going," said Kirk, glancing across at Spock.

The ship continued shaking, more and more vigorously. Suddenly there was a flash of light and noise from Kirk's right. The whole ship seemed to lurch. Kirk turned his head. There had been a massive power overload and part of the wall next to the science station was burning. There were twisted metal panels, and Spock – Spock was lying on the floor, green blood spattered across his uniform.

"Medic!" cried Kirk. "We need a medic, here, now!"

Ensign Chambers, who was manning the Operations console, was a field medic, and rushed over to Spock, grabbing at handrails all the way – the ship was still shaking. In a few seconds, Dr McCoy and Dr M'Benga rushed in from the turbolift.

"My God, Jim – " started McCoy.

"Save him, Bones," said Kirk.

"I'll do what I can – "

"That's an order, mister."

McCoy turned, and together he and M'Benga started to examine Spock.

Kirk turned back to Sulu. "How much further?"

"We're almost at the centre of the anomaly, sir – just a few more – "

Suddenly the ship stopped shaking and an eerie calm descended on the bridge. The viewscreen still showed the strange light effects of the anomaly, but these were fading and soon there was only darkness.

"What happened?" said Kirk.

"The eye of the storm?" theorised Chekov.

"Perhaps ..." Kirk agreed. "A stable region at the centre of the anomaly. How large is this eye of the storm?"

"I'm unable to scan to the edge of it," said Sulu. "But I am detecting ... something."

"Spock's focal point?" As he mentioned his friend's name, he glanced over at him. McCoy and M'Benga were working swiftly and efficiently, but Spock was still unconscious, and there seemed to be more green blood than before.

"No, sir," said Sulu. "I think it's a ship."

"Show me."

A small dot appeared on the viewscreen. Sulu magnified the image, then magnified it again. A large disc and cigar-shaped nacelles came into focus.

"That's a Starfleet vessel," said Kirk. "Mr Chekov, have any other starships been assigned to this sector of space?"

"Negative, Captain. We were the only wessel in range of Wastan III."

"Increase magnification again, Mr Sulu."

The vessel became larger on the viewscreen. There was no mistaking it now – it was a Constitution-class starship.

"Is it possible to get an image of the ship's registry number, Lieutenant?"

Sulu adjusted the picture again and zoomed in. The whole bridge crew stared in disbelief. There, clearly visible now on the saucer section of this starship, was the registry number _NCC-1701_ and the ship name. _USS Enterprise_.

An artificial whistle broke the stunned silence.

"Captain," said Uhura, "We are being hailed ... by the _Enterprise_."

Kirk took a breath. "Put it through on speakers, Lieutenant."

It was the last voice Kirk had expected to hear. But he recognised the distinctive baritone, even before the speaker stated his name. It couldn't have been anyone else.

" _This is Captain Christopher Pike of the Federation starship_ Enterprise _to unknown vessel. Please identify yourself immediately._ "


	2. Chapter 2

_Captain's log, supplemental. Seeking to prevent the destruction of Vastan III, we have entered a spatial anomaly. In the centre of this, we have encountered another ship, which by all appearances is our ship, the_ Enterprise _, from years in the past, and still under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. When I last met the man, he'd suffered terrible injuries when saving cadets from a radiation leak. He was taken to Talos IV, where the inhabitants could use their psychic powers to create an illusion which would enable him to live out the rest of his life without constant pain. Will I now have to look Pike in the eye without warning him of his fate, to preserve the timeline? These are questions where I'd normally look to my first officer for advice, particularly as Spock served under Captain Pike's command. But Spock has suffered serious injuries himself, and has been taken to Sickbay, where Dr McCoy is fighting to save his life._

"Open a channel, Uhura." Kirk tugged his shirt down before the broadcast began. "This is Captain James T. Kirk. We're ... we're another Starfleet vessel. Can we render assistance?"

" _Captain ... Kirk?_ " Pike's voice sounded sceptical. " _I don't think I've had the pleasure. Excuse my caution, Captain, but I wasn't aware there were any other Starfleet ships in this sector. How do I know you are who you say you are?"_

"Well, I sympathise, Captain," said Kirk. "You see, I'm also the captain of the _Enterprise_."

" _I'm sorry, Captain, I think there's a problem with the transmission. I thought you said you were the captain of the_ Enterprise _."_

"I take it you've taken some damage to your sensors?"

" _Some._ "

"I suggest we come in closer, and we can talk about this face-to-face. Are you able to transport over?"

" _Our transporters were damaged when we entered the distortion field. I'll bring my first officer and science officer to your ship via shuttle._ "

"We'll look forward to receiving you, Captain."

Uhura cut the transmission. Kirk turned to his helmsman. "Mr Sulu, take us toward the other _Enterprise_ – but slowly, we don't know whether they really are what they claim to be. And Mr Chekov, check the records – is there any record of the _Enterprise_ under Captain Pike entering such an anomaly?"

"Yes, sir, of course!" said Chekov.

...

Kirk entered the sickbay to find Dr McCoy and Nurse Chapel in a flurry of activity.

"How is he, Bones?" said Kirk.

"He's at death's door, Jim, how do you think he is?" snapped McCoy. "He's lost too damn much of that green Vulcan blood of his. I'm doing everything I can to save him, but it's not made any easier when damn fool officers interrupt me with their questions."

"I get the point."

"I'm sorry, Jim. We'll do everything possible."

"I know you will."

A low automatic whistle came over the intercom. It was Chekov. " _Captain Kirk? I have the information you requested._ "

Kirk pressed the intercom button on the wall. "Meet me in my quarters, Mr Chekov."

...

Chekov held a small plastic card. He inserted it into the televiewer, which showed footage of the anomaly.

"What am I looking at, Mr Chekov?"

"Captain, this is footage from Captain Pike's tour of duty on the _Enterprise_. They did enter an anomaly similar to this, on Stardate 1229.6. But Captain, the rest of those files are redacted."

"They're locked down?"

"Security code lewel six, sir. No-one below the rank of Admiral can access them."

Kirk tapped the bench. "Thank you, Mr Chekov."

"There's something else, Captain. The shuttle was coming in to land as I left the bridge."

"Have Captain Pike and his officers meet me in the briefing room."

...

Kirk was sitting at the head of the table when Chekov showed Pike into the briefing room. It was the same man! There was no doubt about it, this was the man he'd met on Starbase Eleven. But the difference ... Pike was still a young man, full of vigour, only a few years older than Kirk himself. He thought of everything he still had to go through, the pain he was facing – then caught himself. This was a distraction from the very real threat his _Enterprise_ , and Pike's, faced now. He could not change Captain Pike's fate; he could not risk changing the timeline. He'd seen where that sort of interference could lead before, and he'd suffered for it. But together, they could save the crews of their ships, and the colonists on Vastan III.

"Captain ... Kirk?" Pike offered his hand cautiously.

Kirk stood, took Pike's hand and shook it. "Thank you for coming aboard, Captain Pike. I appreciate you've taken quite a risk in coming here."

"I think we've stumbled upon the perfect means of luring a Starfleet captain into a trap – invite him aboard what appears to be a future version of his own starship."

Kirk smiled. "And how does the future look, Captain?"

"Curiously familiar. The corridors; the transporter room; even the chairs in this room. Apart from the odd lick of paint, and a few technical upgrades, this could be my ship. In fact, strike that: this _is_ my ship, down to that rusty bolt on the wall over there that no-one ever got round to replacing, because it didn't need replacing. This is no copy, and I don't think it's an illusion either – God knows I've had experience of those in my time. No, this is my _Enterprise_. But it's not mine any more, is it?"

"No, sir."

Pike sighed. "Well, we had a good run together. And it's not over yet – not if we can get out of this anomaly."

"How did you come to enter the anomaly?" asked Kirk.

"Well, that's the nub of the matter, isn't it? But you'll excuse me if I hold off until my officers join us – your chief engineer is escorting them from the shuttle bay. In the meantime, if I'm frank, I have some questions about you, Captain."

"Please, ask away."

"You're young, for a Starfleet captain. How did you come to be in command of the _Enterprise_?"

"Not so young, sir. The previous captain was only two years older than I was when he took command."

"You've been reading my service file, Captain Kirk. In that case you have the advantage over me, since yours hasn't been written in my time."

"Well, there are a few entries in it. You'd find a lieutenant serving on the _Farragut_ who answered to my name."

"I'll look it up when I return to my _Enterprise_. But don't think I haven't noticed you're deflecting my questions."

"I'm sorry, Captain. Please, sit." Kirk indicated a chair and Pike sat, somewhat stiffly. Kirk paused, then sat next to him, back at the head of the table. "It's a natural response for a ship's captain to get defensive when someone questions his right to command. Especially when that person has such a perfect right to ask those questions."

"I understand, Captain." Pike shared a conspiratorial smile. "There have been too many times when Starfleet brass have thrown their weight around on my bridge for me not to understand. Tell me _that's_ changed in the future, at least."

"I wouldn't insult your intelligence, Captain."

"Then I won't underestimate your abilities either, Captain Kirk. You're a Starfleet captain – the captain of the _Enterprise_ , no less. We share a problem, and together we'll find a solution. And Captain?"

"Yes, sir?"

"No, not sir. We're equals here – the same rank, the same damn ship. I don't know whether I get promoted off this ship – " he held Kirk's gaze – "and I don't want to know. There's no chain of command here. We need to work together, and we will. And we'll work well together, because we're professionals."

"I agree, Captain."

The door opened. Chekov and Mr. Scott entered. "Captain – " began Scotty impulsively, before catching sight of Captain Pike.

"Mr. Scott," said Kirk, "I believe you were escorting our other guests."

"Aye, sir," said Scotty, "they're coming now. But Captain – "

The door opened again. In walked a tall, attractive woman with dark hair, dressed in command gold – from the commander rank on her shirt sleeves she could only be Pike's first officer. She looked strikingly familiar, but if Kirk had met her before, he couldn't place her.

And then, in walked Spock.


	3. Chapter 3

Kirk was shocked by the strength of his own reaction. Here he was, face to face with his first officer, who he knew was still in the sickbay fighting for his life, and there was not a scratch on him. He'd known, of course, that Spock would be on that ship. He'd even known that for the last few years he'd served with Pike, Spock had been one of his science officers. So when he'd heard Pike say he'd bring a science officer on board, he had wondered whether it might be Spock. But seeing him now, barely looking younger than the man he knew so well, had stunned him. He realised with a shock that he'd already missed what Pike had said when he'd started his introductions.

" – my first officer – I just call her Number One. And this is my science officer, Lieutenant Spock."

"Ah ... welcome aboard," said Kirk. He paused. Scotty coughed politely but firmly. "Ah ... and, this is my chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, and my navigator, Ensign Pavel Chekov. And I'm Kirk. Captain. Captain Kirk." He rubbed the side of his temple. "Please, sit down."

All six officers sat round the long briefing table. Pike looked thoughtfully at Kirk, but didn't speak.

"We should discuss the predicament in which we are embroiled," said Spock. "This anomaly is a complex phenomenon. Will your science officer be joining us, Captain Kirk?"

Kirk hesitated. He was unsure how to broach the fact that Spock's future self had been grievously injured, or indeed whether it would damage the timeline to do so at all. He decided for the moment to speak vaguely. "Unfortunately, my science officer – who is also my first officer – was injured when we entered this anomaly. I understand your ship also suffered damage, Captain Pike?"

"That's right," said Pike. "Life support systems were damaged across the ship. We have repair crews working frantically to make good the damage. In addition, our sensors and communications array were almost destroyed. It was all we could do to transmit that audio message."

Kirk sighed. "We've had similar problems. Among other damage, our science station exploded, which is how my first officer was badly wounded. He's now in sickbay. However, Mr Scott and Ensign Chekov both have a great deal of scientific expertise themselves. Let's proceed. Mr Chekov, what do we know about the nature of this anomaly?"

Chekov had the nervous look of a brash young man asked to cover for someone much more senior. "Well, Captain, Mr – the science officer, he called this a Perozzi anomaly."

At this the younger Spock glanced at Number One, and raised an eyebrow.

Pike caught this. "Unfortunately I don't have your scientific expertise, Mr Chekov. Can you explain what a Perozzi anomaly actually is?"

"Well, Captain ... I'm sure Mister Spock would give a much fuller explanation ..."

"On the contrary, Mr Chekov," said Spock. "It would be a privilege to hear from a fellow student of Perozzi's theories. After all, they are hardly a core part of Starfleet training."

"Well, quite so," said Chekov, with an anxious smile. "As I understand it, Dr Perozzi's theory was that such an anomaly was a step beyond a black hole. Not just a singularity where gravity wiolently bends space and time, but an effect produced where gravitational forces are so strong they have ripped a pocket of spacetime free from the rest of the uniwerse."

"An adroit summary, Mr Chekov," said Spock.

"But what explains the gravitational pulses we encountered before we entered the anomaly?" asked Kirk. He looked at Chekov. Chekov looked at Spock.

"Any gravitational distortions are the effect of tension between this spacetime pocket and any nearby gravitational fields," explained Spock. "It was those distortions which led our _Enterprise_ to this anomaly."

"In our time, the distortions threaten to destroy a Federation colony," said Kirk.

"Then it's not just our two crews at stake," said Pike. "There are civilian lives on the line here too."

"We need to destroy this anomaly," said Number One. "Or at least to neutralise it before it can do any further harm."

"Aye, lassie," said Scotty (seeming not to notice Number One bristle at this term of address), "but neither your ship nor ours is in a fit condition to do much at all right now. We don't even know which systems we need to repair first to stop this thing."

"It is unfortunate that your science officer is indisposed," said Spock. "Anyone capable of identifying a Perozzi anomaly from outside would surely have a wealth of insight into the challenge we face."

"I'm quite sure you're right, Mr Spock," said Kirk. "But luckily we don't have to do without his expertise."

"I'm not sure I follow you, Captain Kirk," said Pike. "I thought you said your first officer was in sickbay?"

Kirk judged that the time for concealment had passed. "He is. But since my first officer is Mr Spock, his expertise is also in this room."

Now it was the turn of Pike and Number One to look stunned. Spock, however, merely arched an eyebrow again, and said, "Fascinating."

"Don't get any ideas, Lieutenant," said Number One.


	4. Chapter 4

"If Spock – your Spock – is critically injured, is there anything we can do to help?" asked Pike.

Kirk shook his head. "My chief medical officer is doing everything he can."

"We should focus instead on addressing the danger posed by the Perozzi anomaly," said Spock. "It is what my future self wants us to do."

"You canna know that!" said Scotty. "You havna even seen him!"

"I do not need to, sir," said Lieutenant Spock. "Logical deduction proves it to be so. He will have my memories of our present situation. Had he chosen to warn you, Captain Kirk, of the injury he would suffer, he could have avoided his present predicament. Yet he chose to risk his own life and sustain this injury, knowing that it would be a necessary part of preserving the timeline – a timeline in which, hopefully, we can avert the destruction of a Federation settlement."

"Mr Spock, as so often, you have a point," said Pike.

"I agree," said Kirk. "We need to find the focal point of this anomaly. Before he was wounded, Spock made clear that was the key."

"The difficulty is that such a focal point could be subatomic in scale, and we need to search many millions of square miles," said Spock.

"A needle in a haystack," commented Kirk.

Spock frowned. "Hardly an exact comparison, Captain Kirk."

Pike put his hand on his officer's shoulder. "Let's not split hairs, Lieutenant – another imprecise analogy, I know, but under the circumstances you can let it slide. You and the Captain are both quite right that it's a formidable task. And it's compounded by the fact we don't have working sensors aboard our _Enterprise_."

"But that's the answer," said Number One. "We have two ships. If we can get our communications array back on line, by using a series of narrow band particle transmissions between our vessels we can triangulate the position of any gravitational distortion. That would lead us directly to this focal point."

"Aye, that could work," said Scott.

"Unfortunately, I can't spare the repair crews while life support is still in a parlous state across my ship," said Pike.

"You won't need to," said Kirk. "Mr Scott and my communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura, can repair the damage. They've repaired the _Enterprise_ 's communications array together a dozen times before – you couldn't ask for a more experienced team."

"That's a generous offer, Kirk," said Pike. "Now, don't take this personally, but I'll assign Number One to pilot the shuttle for them back to my ship. You've convinced me you are who you say you are, but I still need to have any repairs to my ship supervised by one of my people."

"I'm not offended," said Kirk. "I'd do the same in your shoes." He turned to Mr Scott. "Scotty, have Lieutenant Uhura meet you and ... Number One in the shuttle bay."

"Aye, sir," said Scott. He rose. "Come on, lassie." Number One gave him a stony stare, but slowly stood up.

"Good luck," said Pike, as they left the room. He turned back to Kirk. "Let's hope this works. How long do we have?"

"The colony was suffering considerable damage before we entered the anomaly," said Kirk. "They only had hours – a day at most."

"But it's complicated, Captain," said Chekov. "The way time works here is different."

"Another illuminating observation, Ensign," said Spock. "We entered the anomaly many years apart, yet find ourselves in a shared pocket of spacetime. It may be that years, even centuries could pass here without any correlation to the times we came from."

"You might be right, Spock – ah, Lieutenant Spock," said Kirk, "but I don't plan on spending centuries here finding out."

"That's a point, though," said Pike. "If we do manage to shut this anomaly down, or escape, there's no guarantee we'll return to our own times."

"An incorrect assertion, Captain," said Spock. "Captain Kirk has already made it clear that my future self is still alive in his time, and has given no indication that my counterpart was displaced in time. We can, therefore, be reasonably confident that our _Enterprise_ , at least, will be returned to approximately the point when we entered this anomaly. It would seem at least likely, from this, that this future _Enterprise_ will also return back to its time of origin."

"That's a heroic set of assumptions," said Pike.

"You're also assuming we don't change the timeline," said Kirk.

"Indeed, sir," said Spock. "But as I have explained, I have good reason to believe my future self acted as he did in order to maintain the series of events we are about to experience."

A whistle sounded through the room. Kirk pressed the communications panel on the telescreen. "Kirk here."

McCoy's face appeared. " _Jim, there's a problem. Spock's condition's getting worse. I need to operate – but Jim, the blood bank was damaged when we entered this damn anomaly. The T-negative supplies are all contaminated. And without that ... he'll die, Jim. Spock will die._ "


	5. Chapter 5

The sickbay was a hive of activity when Kirk and Pike entered. Spock was not the only crewmember to have suffered serious injuries. Some staff with minor cuts and bruises stood around dazed, while Dr McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Dr M'Benga treated those who had been most severely wounded. The medical team were being assisted by some field medics from the wider crew.

McCoy finished bandaging a junior engineer's arm and marched over to Kirk, scowling as he came.

"Damnit, Jim, this is a sickbay, not a peep show! Can't you see I have wounded people here I need to treat without a bunch of officers gawping – "

McCoy's rant tailed off as he recognised the man at Kirk's side. McCoy, Kirk and Spock had seen Captain Pike together after he'd suffered his terrible accident. The man now in his sickbay was recognisably the same man. But no-one knew better than Bones the devastation that the delta ray radiation had wreaked on Pike.

Kirk spoke quickly. "Dr McCoy, this is Captain Christopher Pike. Captain Pike, this is Leonard McCoy, my chief medical officer."

Pike held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Doctor. I should say that my CMO's the only officer who can get away with giving me a piece of his mind like that on my _Enterprise_ as well. It's good to know that some things don't change over time."

McCoy was slightly pale, but spoke in a level tone as he shook Pike's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Captain."

"We're here about Spock, Bones," said Kirk. "You said you'd lost all the blood we had aboard for Spock's blood type?"

"That's right, Jim," said McCoy. "It's that damn T-negative, you can't get it anywhere and you can't synthesise it worth a damn either. After that business with Spock's father I built up some stocks, but they've all been lost now. There's no-one on the crew who can give T-negative blood for Spock. I've given him the closest thing I can synthesise, but too much of that and his body will reject it."

"That's why we're here, Bones. We may have a solution for you."

"Where the hell do you think you're going to get T-negative blood from, Jim? From what I hear we're in some kind of other universe – we're hardly likely to run into someone with the same rare blood type as Spock, are we?"

At that instant the doors to the sickbay opened again and in walked Lieutenant Spock. McCoy's eyes widened and Kirk struggled to suppress a smirk.

"Lieutenant Spock," said Pike, "can I introduce you to Dr McCoy?"


	6. Chapter 6

Scotty and Number One stood by the shuttle _Galileo_ , waiting for Lt Uhura.

"So, lassie," said Scott, "you're a pilot by training?"

"Mr Scott," said Number One, "you've addressed me several times since we met in the briefing room. You've not once addressed me by rank, or by my name. You have, however, called me 'lassie' no less than seven times. I am not a lassie. I do not appreciate being called a lassie. 'Lassie', to my mind, is the name of a collie dog from mid-twentieth-century cinema. From now on, you will address me as 'Commander'. Have I made myself clear?"

"Aye, you have at that, Commander," said a somewhat astonished Mr Scott. "I didna mean anything by it."

"Surely you don't address female command officers on this ship as 'lassie?'"

"Aye, well, there are not so many ..." Scott realised he was digging a deeper hole.

"Do you have any female officers in the command staff?" asked Number One.

"Well, there's Lieutenant Uhura, of course – you'll meet her soon, she's a bonnie la- lieutenant," said Scott. "And then, well, perhaps there are no too many other women on the command staff at the moment, but ..."

"Your Captain Kirk," said Number One, "let me guess – he seems to gravitate towards a different beautiful woman on every planet he visits, doesn't he?"

"He does have a way with women," conceded Scott. "But what d'you mean to imply by that?"

"I'm just calling it as I see it. And it seems to me he's a chauvinist who's allowed his misogyny to infect the rest of the crew."

Scotty wasn't going to stand for this. "Now you take that back, la- Commander! Captain Kirk may like the ladies, but I canna stand hear and listen to you say he doesna treat the women in his crew with respect! If you've got a problem with what I've said, you take that out on me – dinna blame the Captain!"

"Very well, Mr Scott. I do have a problem with you. Your tone is patronising, bordering on condescending."

Scott nearly exploded. " _I'm_ condescending! I never heard such a thing – "

"Scotty!" called Uhura, as she entered the shuttle bay. "What's all the noise? I could hear you from the corridor."

Scott looked sheepish. "Ah, there's nae problem."

"Myself and the Lieutenant Commander were just having a, shall we say, lively discussion," said Number One. "However, I suggest we postpone that conversation and concentrate on our mission." She offered her hand to Uhura, who took it nervously and shook it. Number One continued: "Well Lieutenant, let's get underway."


	7. Chapter 7

McCoy was rapidly coming to the conclusion that there was only one thing worse than having Mr Spock in his sickbay. And that was having two Mr Spocks in his sickbay.

This young Mr Spock, this Lieutenant Spock, had in abundance all the qualities that generally drove McCoy to distraction when dealing with the older Commander Spock. Lieutenant Spock had the same arrogant calm tone to his voice, with every pronouncement that he made seeming – to McCoy's ears at least – to imply that, as a Vulcan, the speaker himself was inevitably superior to mere humans. And even worse, Lt Spock would keep offering medical advice on the treatment McCoy was administering to his future self.

"Have you administered an injection of glycomeistrin?" Lt Spock asked coolly, as McCoy checked the older Spock's vital signs on the display above the sick bed.

McCoy glared at him, but tried to bite his tongue. "Of course I have. That was one of the first things I did – but it's still not enough."

"My older self's neurological activity remains dangerously low, Doctor. Perhaps you should apply the cortical stimulator again."

"Your brain needs rest now, not stimulation, damnit! Your future brain, I mean – God knows what your current brain needs!" McCoy's voice lowered to a mumble. "To stop telling me my business, perhaps."

"What was that, Doctor?"

"Nothing, Lieutenant."

"And my T-cell count, Doctor – might I suggest – "

"No you might not, you green-blooded hobgoblin!" McCoy had finally lost his patience. "I'm sick and tired of being talked down to by a pointy-eared automaton who seems intent on treating me like I've never read a medical textbook in my life!"

The young lieutenant suddenly looked more shocked and dismayed than McCoy had ever seen Spock look before. "I - " Lieutenant Spock seemed to be struggling even to form a sentence. "That was one of the most racist and hurtful things anyone has said to me since my childhood."

McCoy suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He had been so used to his verbal sparring with Spock, and so used to Spock's impassive reactions to even his most provocative taunts, that he had scarcely considered his words. Now he thought how they must have sounded to this young lieutenant, at a moment when he saw his own life hanging in the balance, coming as they did from the mouth of the physician charged with treating him.

"Good God, I'm sorry," said McCoy. "Spock and I – that Spock – we needle each other. He comments on how foolish and emotional humans are, and I give him a dressing down for being too damn logical. Sometimes I take it too far. But he's my friend, and I'm worried about him."

"Well, Doctor," said Lieutenant Spock slowly, "I am not your friend." He glanced over at the unmoving body of Commander Spock, lying on the sick bed. "Perhaps I will be, one day. But I would suggest that your words would be even less acceptable addressed to a friend than to a stranger."

"You're right," conceded McCoy.

"Notwithstanding your prejudiced remarks," continued Lieutenant Spock, "I do acknowledge your substantive point."

"You do? Are you really Spock?"

"I am interfering with your efforts to provide medical care for my future self. There is no indication that you've been medically negligent – "

"Oh, thank you for that!"

" – and as such the logical conclusion must be that I am acting on my own anxiety and emotional impulses."

McCoy's lip curled. "Mr Spock, are you telling me that you're being too emotional?"

"Indeed, Doctor," said Lieutenant Spock. "There is no reason not to acknowledge such a reaction, in order to correct for it."

"No, I'm sure there's not. I just wish I had a recording of you saying it."


	8. Chapter 8

Lieutenant Uhura and Number One emerged from the _Galileo_ 's airlock in spacesuits, and made their way along a tether to the large sensor and communications array at the front of the engine section of Captain Pike's _Enterprise_. The damage to the communications equipment at the center of the disc was clearly extensive. Various aerials were snapped or missing, and the disc itself had been fractured on the port side.

Uhura did not like the confined feeling of wearing the spacesuit. She still associated these silver suits, their brightly coloured tubes and components, with that awful encounter with the _Defiant_ and the Tholians. She had seen the spectral form of Captain Kirk appear before her in one of these spacesuits. At the time he'd seemed like a ghost, though he'd turned out to be stranded between dimensions, and they'd brought him home. But it had lent these garments an eerie quality that she'd not been able to shake ever since.

" _Lieutenant?_ " said Number One through the intercom. " _Are you alright?_ "

Uhura forced herself to focus, and looked behind her at her companion. "Yes, Commander."

" _Your breathing had become erratic._ "

"I'm sorry, Commander. I've had some experiences with these spacesuits that have made me nervous."

" _You don't need to apologise, Lieutenant. I'm simply checking that you're still able to perform your duties._ "

"I'll be fine, Commander, thank you."

They reached the sensor array and activated their magnetic boots. Now they were able to walk on the surface of the disc, and to stand beside the aerials to make repairs. Uhura unfastened her backpack, containing the range of equipment and tools she'd collected from her _Enterprise_ to make repairs, and started work on the primary transmitter aerial, which had been bent crooked. Number One joined her to assist.

"What's your assessment of the damage?" asked Number One.

"Well, the aerial's fractured," said Uhura, "but I can patch it up with a vacuum welder. It won't look like much, but it should work well enough for your ship to send the narrow band transmissions we need. Then we can triangulate the position of this anomaly's focal point." Uhura adjusted the visor on her helmet, and set to work with the vacuum welder. In a few moments the primary transmitter aerial was facing directly out from the sensor dish, although a nasty scar ran round it where she had repaired the break.

Number One examined the aerial. " _Impressive, Lieutenant. Can you run a test transmission from here?_ "

Uhura took a tricorder from her backpack. She opened an access hatch at the base of the aerial and connected a lead from the tricorder. Although her fingers felt clumsy inside her gloves, she managed to set the tricorder to emit a test signal to the shuttle.

Scotty's voice crackled over the intercom. " _Canny work, lassie!_ "

" _Mister Scott!_ "

" _Apologies, commander._ "

Number One opened a private channel to Uhura. " _Don't let him – or anyone else on your ship – belittle your abilities._ "

"Mister Scott?" Uhura was genuinely surprised. "That's just how he talks. He's always – "

As she was speaking, she suddenly saw the stars flicker and shift in front of her. For a second, she thought she saw the outline of a human form, and suddenly she felt a blow strike her in her stomach. In the zero gravity, she flew backwards, but managed to grab onto the communications aerial and stop herself before she was thrown clear of the ship.

Now Uhura could make out two shadowy, translucent forms moving across the sensor dish. "Look out!" she called out to Number One, as one of the forms moved towards the commander.

Number One scanned round and spotted the flickering figure. She quickly drew her phaser and blasted it with an energy beam. The near-transparent form took on the more solid appearance of some unfamiliar spacesuit design, but there was no time to try and identify it or capture an image, because the figure was thrown clear of the sensor dish by the phaser blast, and out into darkness.

The second mysterious figure fumbled with something invisible for a moment, before producing a very visible rifle-like weapon, seemingly out of nowhere, and began to take aim at the communications aerial. Uhura realised that, after more than a decade serving on spacecraft, now was finally the moment to put her zero-gravity combat training to use. She pushed herself away from the aerial with all her might, towards the barely visible figure, and crashed forcefully into it, just before it could pull the trigger. The shadowy form was sent sprawling on its back. But Uhura bounced painfully off the sensor dish and started spinning away from the ship.

Suddenly, though, her body jerked to a stop, then started moving back towards Pike's _Enterprise_. For a second Uhura couldn't make sense of what had happened. It didn't help she was still spinning round and round. But then she realised – Number One had grabbed the tether line which was still attached to Uhura's spacesuit and was holding desperately to both the tether and to the communications aerial.

But the translucent figure had regained its footing, and pulled itself back up. Number One looked desperately around, but didn't seem to have her phaser any longer – perhaps she had dropped it when she had saved Uhura. Uhura herself had lost all her kit, not that she could have got a clear shot anyway as she continued to spin wildly in zero gravity. The flickering, nearly invisible form raised its rifle again, and –

Two searing red phaser beams blasted the figure clean off the sensor dish and spinning away out into the void. A second later, Uhura and Number One saw the source of the beams, the shuttlecraft _Galileo_ , soar over their heads.

" _Are y'alright lassies?_ "

Number One didn't even seem to pick up on Mr Scott's turn of phrase. " _Yes, thank you. Nice shooting Mr Scott!_ "

" _Aye, well, from what I saw, you two didnae do so badly yourselves. But who the blue blazes were they?_ "


	9. Chapter 9

The turbolift doors swished open and at once Kirk and Pike heard all the beeps and whirrs that indicated activity on the _Enterprise_ bridge. Kirk started to step out of the lift, then paused when he realised Pike wasn't moving.

"Is everything all right?" asked Kirk.

"It's just – it's so familiar. It hasn't changed one bit," said Pike. "It's OK. I'm ready."

The two men walked out and instinctively both headed for the captain's chair. They had both placed a hand on it before either of them realised. Pike lifted his hand abruptly.

"This is your ship, Captain," said Pike. "I'm the visitor here. Please, sit down."

Kirk, slightly awkwardly, settled himself into the chair while Pike stood beside him. He looked over to his helmsman. "Report, Mister Sulu."

Sulu turned his head. "The mission to repair the other _Enterprise_ 's communications array appeared to have been a success, sir. But then we detected phaser fire around the sensor dish."

"Was anyone hurt?" asked Pike.

"I ..." Sulu was clearly thrown by having two captains to answer to instead of one.

Kirk smiled. "It's alright, Lieutenant. Please, answer Captain Pike's question."

"I ... No, sir. Your Executive Officer has returned to your ship, and Mr Scott and Lieutenant Uhura have been transported back here."

Kirk lifted his forearm from his armrest, curled his hand into a fist, and pressed it against his chin as he leant forward. "Who could have attacked our officers from inside this anomaly?"

Now Chekov, who was sat at the navigator's station, turned to face Kirk. "Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

Kirk glanced at Pike, who shrugged slightly. "Permission granted," said Kirk.

"We have wery little ewidence that the other _Enterprise_ is what it seems to be. It could still be a deception!"

"That's true, Mr Chekov," said Kirk. "But I've been observing the behaviour of our guests since they arrived. And everything I've seen leads me to believe that they are the fine, upstanding Starfleet officers they claim to be."

"That's gracious of you to say, Captain," said Pike. "Unfortunately, it does still leave us with a mystery. If my crew didn't start firing phasers over there, then who did?"

"Someone who didn't want us to complete the repairs to your communications array," said Kirk. "Which means, now that it is working, we need to use it to find the focal point immediately. Are we ready, Mr Sulu?"

"Aye, sir," said Sulu.

"Hail the other ship," said Kirk.

Number One's face appeared on the viewscreen. "It's time to begin the narrow band particle transmissions between our two ships," said Kirk.

" _Captain?_ " said Number One, her eyes on Pike.

Pike nodded. "Begin the sweep, Number One."

Sulu flicked a switch on the helm and a gentle whining noise indicated that the transmissions had begun. The two _Enterprises_ both began to move through the dark, a single blue beam stretching between their two communication arrays.

After a few moments, an alert light started flashing on the helm and a warning siren went off. "We've found something!" shouted Sulu.

"Concentrate the transmissions on that area," ordered Kirk. "And magnify."

The viewscreen focused in on the particle beam. It was clear that it was bouncing off some invisible object.

"A cloaking field?" said Pike.

"It certainly looks that way," agreed Kirk.

" _The figures that attacked us were wearing some kind of personal stealth cloaking technology_ ," said Number One.

Gradually a large metallic object flickered into view on the screen.

"It doesn't look like a ship," said Kirk. "Perhaps some kind of space station? What do you think, Captain?" Kirk turned to look at Pike. But just as he did, there was a flash of light, accompanied by a loud sound like the crash of a gong, and Pike had vanished.

"What the – " said Kirk, but the bridge crew didn't hear the end of the sentence, because at that second there was another blinding flash, the metallic crash, and an empty captain's chair.

Kirk had disappeared.


	10. Chapter 10

Captain Kirk's head was throbbing as he came to. He wondered to himself why he was lying on the floor of a dark room. He didn't remember having too much Rigellian ale. Not that people tended to remember the nights when they had too much Rigellian ale, he ruefully reminded himself.

Slowly he lifted himself to a sitting position, and realised he wasn't alone. He saw the prostrate figure of Captain Pike lying beside him, and remembered the last moments on the bridge of the _Enterprise_ before he'd blacked out.

Kirk reached out and gripped Pike's shoulder. "Christopher?" he said gently. "Chris?"

Pike stirred, then sat himself up. "Captain," he said groggily. "Or Jim, I should say, if we're on first name terms now."

Kirk grinned. "I think being captured together by aliens puts us onto first name terms. After all, we're going to need to work closely together if we're going to escape."

Pike stood up, then pulled Kirk to his feet as well. "Now you're talking."

They looked around the room. It was gloomy, but there were two dim lights on the metallic walls. The floor was covered with a grille – Kirk guessed this was a form of transporter pad. There was one door. It was shut, but there was a control panel to the left side of it. Kirk jabbed at the buttons, but to no avail.

Pike took out his communicator. "Pike to _Enterprise ..._ either _Enterprise_. Can anyone hear me? Number One, are you receiving this?" The communicator hissed with static.

"Some kind of jamming field?" speculated Kirk.

Pike waved the communicator. "This isn't going to help us contact our ships. But it might still be useful." He walked over to the control panel and used the cover of his communicator to prise open the front of the panel. The cover broke off, but the panel had been levered loose, and Pike lifted it off. He didn't fully understand the circuitry inside, but decided that he'd cross two wire-like filaments that looked important. There was a satisfying spark. Pike tried the door, and it started to give. When Kirk saw this, he joined Pike in pulling the sliding door open. They stepped out into a long, dark corridor.

"You're going to have to show me how you did that," said Kirk, as they started to walk down the corridor.

"Trade secret," Pike replied, "but to put it simply, I kept trying to break things until I succeeded."

"Well, that I can do," said Kirk.

"What do you make of this place?"

"It seems deserted," said Kirk. "It's less like a space station than a mausoleum." He ran a finger along one wall. "Look at this dust."

A large set of double doors was clearly visible now at the end of the corridor.

"What do you think's down there?" asked Pike.

"Nothing good," said Kirk. "It was rather too easy to escape from the transporter room, and we might as well have followed a trail of breadcrumbs here. We're being toyed with, and whoever's behind that wants us to go through those doors."

"Should we look for another way out?" asked Pike.

"Perhaps. Let's head back the way we came."

They turned around, but before they could go back down the corridor, two forms flickered into view in front of them, as if solidifying out of thin air. Both humanoid figures stood nearly seven foot tall and were dressed in grey space suits, with green amphibian faces. They struck at Kirk and Pike. Kirk was knocked to the floor, but Pike blocked the blow and began to wrestle with one of the creatures. As he did so, however, the other struck him on the back and Pike fell to his knees. But the alien was then struck on the head with both hands by Kirk. Enraged, it roared and threw Kirk through the now open double doors.

Kirk tumbled down several steps, and found himself in a small, circular arena in the middle of a dimly lit room. He realised the steps could also provide seating for spectators, had there been any signs of life beyond himself, Pike, and their two assailants. He was in an alien colosseum at the heart of this gothic space station.

Pike was dragged, struggling, by the two creatures into the room and down the steps. Kirk charged at the creatures and knocked one down. Pike broke free of the other's grip, and dealt it a sharp blow with his right fist.

Kirk and Pike both squared up, and looked at the two fearsome aliens, who were poised to attack.

"Don't worry," said Kirk. "We can beat them. This kind of thing happens to me all the time."

"I'm not worried," smiled Pike. "You take the little one!"

The two captains charged at their opponents.


	11. Chapter 11

"Ye canna just lose two Captains on the bridge of the _Enterprise_!"

Mr Scott was not having a good day. He had narrowly avoided losing two officers in an attack by unknown forces just hours before. Now he'd arrived back on board his ship only to find himself in command, as both Captain Kirk and Captain Pike had been mysteriously abducted in a flash of light. Most of all, he was still bristling from the implication that he was a male chauvinist.

"Did we not have the shields up?" he asked desperately.

"We raised shields after we'd detected the phaser fire near the other _Enterprise_ , and beamed you back," Sulu assured him. "But it didn't seem to make any difference. There was a flash, and a loud noise, and they were gone."

"And ye canna trace them, Mr Chekov?"

"No, Mr Scott," admitted Chekov. "But they must be aboard that metal object!"

"Aye, I dare say you're right. What can ye tell me about it?"

"Wery little, sir. None of my scans can penetrate its outer hull."

"We need our science officer," mused Scotty. He pressed the communications controls on the arm of the captain's chair. "Scott to McCoy."

" _McCoy here. What is it, Scotty? I don't know if you've heard, but we're pretty busy down here._ "

"Doctor, I need you to send Mr Spock up to the bridge, right now."

" _Are you out of your goddamn mind? I've just operated on him! The man's in a coma – I don't even know if he'll pull through._ "

"Not that Mr Spock," said Scotty, as calmly as he could. "The young lieutenant."

" _Lieutenant Spock's my only source of T-negative blood! If our Spock needs more blood, I need him here!_ "

"If we canna rescue the two captains, the whole ship's in danger! Send him to the bridge now, that's an order!" Scotty swiftly flicked the switch and ended the conversation. He'd learnt from bitter experience that in such a situation, this was the only way to stop Dr. McCoy from getting the last word.

"Mr Scott," said Uhura, who was now back at the communications console, "the _Enterprise_ is hailing us."

"Put it on screen, lassie," said Scotty.

Number One appeared on the viewer. " _Mr Scott_ ," she said, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. " _I take it you're now in command?_ "

"Aye, Commander," he said wearily. "Ye canna get away from me just yet."

" _So it would seem._ _I take it your ship is having no more success in scanning this alien object for the captains than ours is?_ "

Scott shook his head. "We canna penetrate its shielding."

" _If we can't rescue them, we'll need to destroy it._ "

"You can't be serious!"

" _It is the focal point for this anomaly. We still have a duty to the hundreds of colonists in your time whose lives will be lost if it continues to emit powerful gravitational distortions._ "

"We need to find another way," said Scott.

The turbolift doors opened and Lieutenant Spock walked onto the bridge. Every eye on the bridge stared at him with an intensity that slightly unnerved the young Vulcan. "You sent for me, Mr Scott," he said.

"Aye, laddie, I did. We need to rescue the captains and destroy that focal point – preferably in that order. Now if there's one man who can tell us how to do it, I'd say it's you."

"Your faith in my abilities is flattering, Mr Scott, but it may be misplaced. I lack many years of the experience my counterpart possesses."

"Aye, well, that's the sort of thing he'd say too, but I wouldna take his word for it either."

"I was studying the telemetry from your scans while in Sickbay," said Lt Spock. "However, while we might be able to use brute force in the form of photon torpedoes to attack this object, I see no way to guarantee the captains' safety were we to do so."

"Mr Scott?" said Uhura.

He turned, surprised. "Aye, lassie? The aliens are no hailing us, are they?"

Uhura frowned slightly. "No, Mr Scott. But I had a suggestion to make."

"Oh ... aye, carry on." He pointedly did not turn back round towards the viewscreen. He did not want to see Number One's face right now.

"Our narrow band particle transmissions interfered with their cloaking technology. Perhaps a more intense set of transmissions might impair their other systems, as well."

Lieutenant Spock raised an eyebrow. "An ingenious proposal, Lieutenant," he said. "Modulated transmissions from both vessels could indeed be enough to affect their shielding, and disrupt their other systems as well. However, it is unlikely to weaken their defences sufficiently to allow us to transport the captains to safety."

"But perhaps we'd be able to transmit a message to them," said Uhura. "If we can scan that object through its weakened shields, we may be able to tell Captain Kirk and Captain Pike how they can disable the systems from inside it."

"Aye, but lassie, you're forgetting – they were taken from right off the bridge! Captain Kirk doesna have his communicator with him."

" _But Captain Pike does_ ," said Number One. " _Standard issue on any away mission._ "

Scott stifled his irritation. It was, after all, the best plan they had. "All right then, let's give this a try."

" _I'll need Lieutenant Spock back aboard our_ Enterprise _to co-ordinate these transmissions_."

"Of course, Commander." Spock bowed slightly to Scott and Uhura, and left the bridge.

Scotty shook his head. "He doesna change much, does he?" he said to Uhura. Then, more quietly, he added: "Are you sure we can do this, lassie?"

"I'm not sure, Scotty," said Uhura. Her eyes met his. "But I'd say we've got a pretty good shot."

"Aye, well, that's good enough for me." He turned to face forward again. "Now listen up! When this gets going, things may happen fast, and we could be in for a bumpy ride. So I want all of you on your toes." Scott hit the intercom switch on the chair again, and spoke even more loudly. "All hands, red alert!"


	12. Chapter 12

Kirk leant against the steps of the arena, and panted. He looked down at the two creatures, now prostrate and unconscious at his and Pike's feet. It had been a tough fight, but they'd prevailed.

Pike slapped Kirk on the back. "Come on, let's get out of here."

" _I think ... perhaps not_." A disembodied voice echoed around the arena, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"Who's there?" Kirk called out. "Show yourself!"

" _I cannot reveal myself to you_ ," boomed the voice, " _for I no longer have a physical form. But hear my name and tremble, for I am the great Emperor Ydraxis of the Skettaran!_ "

Kirk looked at Pike. Pike shrugged.

"Excuse us," said Kirk, "you're going to have to explain. We're not familiar with the Skettaran."

" _Impossible!_ "

"Humour us," said Pike.

" _The Skettaran Empire spans half the galaxy! And I was its ruler – the greatest emperor of all time. But I was cruelly overthrown by rebels, my physical body atomized, and my consciousness imprisoned in the mainframe of this infernal place. This installation was created to trap me forever; its engines generated the intense gravitational fields that ripped this piece of space and time out of the universe. Now I am here, alone, my consciousness slowly dwindling inside this machine, with only the most loyal members of my honor guard to keep me company. Or at least I was alone, until your star chariots arrived."_

"The former ruler of an ancient empire," mused Kirk, "entombed here with his most loyal warriors, like some kind of Egyptian pyramid."

"But this wasn't set up in his honor," Pike observed. "This leader was cast out by his people and left here to die."

" _I may have been left to die_ ," Ydraxis cut in, " _but that will not be my fate. Your craft offer me a way to escape this void and return to conquer the galaxy anew!_ "

"You said your mind was trapped inside this base's computer," said Kirk.

" _Indeed. But I have developed a means to transfer my consciousness into a new host. And that, you see, is why I have brought the two of you to this place._ "

"What do you mean?" said Kirk.

"Of course ..." said Pike. "Two captains, with loyal crews. Either one of our bodies could serve your purpose. Pretend to be the captain of a Constitution-class starship and you could do a lot of damage in any attempt to conquer the universe."

" _Quite so. With a powerful warship at my command, my empire will rise from the ashes! The only question which remains, is which of you will have the honor of sacrificing your own mind to host my presence? You have both defeated my honor guard and shown yourselves to be powerful warriors. There is only one way to settle this to my satisfaction._ "

At this, there was a bright flash of light and a loud clashing sound. The bodies of the two amphibian warriors disappeared, and in their place lay two long, metallic spears. Each had a long sharp blade and point at one end.

"What's this supposed to be?" said Kirk.

" _The two of you will now engage in single combat, for the honor of relinquishing your physical form to me._ "

"You're insane!" shouted Kirk. "We won't do this!"

But Pike moved forward and took up a spear.

"What are you doing?" Kirk cried.

"If we don't do this," said Pike, "he'll kill us both, and then bring more of our crews to this arena. We need to do what he asks. At least this way, one of us will survive."

Kirk didn't like it, but he could see the reasoning behind Pike's words. At least, while they were fighting, the rest of their crews were safe. As Pike started to circle him with his spear, Kirk bent down and seized the other weapon. The two men moved warily at first, each keeping a distance from the other, but occasionally jabbing towards their opponent with the blade. One such movement by Pike caught Kirk's shirt, and ripped it across his shoulder, drawing blood. Kirk flinched, but kept himself steady.

Then, in a fluid motion, Kirk struck, spinning his spear in his hands and dealing Pike a swift blow to the chest with the blunt end of the spear. Pike staggered back, but quickly regained his balance, and parried Kirk's follow-up attack.

Then Kirk swung wildly with his spear. He managed to knock Pike's weapon out of his hands, but Kirk's spear went flying as well. Pike made to grab the nearest of the two weapons, but Kirk wrestled him to the ground and pinned him down. For a moment, it seemed that Pike would not break free, but then he managed to kick Kirk in the stomach, and wriggle out of his grasp. Pike grabbed the spear, knocked Kirk to the ground, and pushed the sharp blade against Kirk's throat. Kirk couldn't move.

" _Well fought, Captain Christopher Pike. You will be the honored host of Ydraxis in our next life._ "

As Pike moved the blade away, Kirk staggered to his feet. "Ydraxis, no!" he cried. "You're making a terrible mistake in choosing this man for a host."

"James, stop," said Pike.

"I can't," replied Kirk. "Ydraxis, listen to me! I've seen this man's future." Kirk hesitated. He knew what he could say to save Pike from Ydraxis. But he also knew what a toll it would take on Pike to learn of his fate.

" _Captain James Tiberius Kirk, why not concede defeat? You have been vanquished._ "

"Because I know you're making the wrong choice, Ydraxis. I'm from Pike's future. I've seen what happens to his body. In a few years, he'll suffer massive injuries from exposure to delta rays. He'll be unable to move, unable to speak." Kirk couldn't meet Pike's eyes, though he felt the other captain staring straight at him. "How will you conquer the galaxy then?"

" _Curious indeed. From his future? I cannot see how such a story could be true. And yet there is no deception in your words; this will be this man's fate._ "

Kirk glanced at Pike: the colour had drained from his face, and his eyes were fixed on the middle distance, as if on something that no-one else could see. Kirk felt guilt stab at him.

" _Very well, James Tiberius. Your words are true. And so you shall be the sacrifice._ "

A beam of light struck out from across the room and hit Kirk's forehead. Kirk held his hands to his temples, and screamed in agony.

" _Ydraxis will live again!_ "


	13. Chapter 13

The beam of light continued to press against Kirk's forehead as he held his head in his hands and cried out. Pike looked round, desperate to find some way to intervene. He grabbed the spear he'd been holding before and moved toward the beam of light to try and block it.

But before he could reach it, the room rocked with a massive shock wave. The beam of light vanished, and both Kirk and Pike were thrown to the edge of the arena.

Both men picked themselves up slowly.

"Are you alright?" asked Pike.

"I think so," said Kirk, rubbing his eyes. "But I feel a migraine coming on."

The floor shook again. Clearly, this space station was being rocked by explosions.

"We need to get out of here," said Pike.

"Agreed," said Kirk. They made for the double doors, and forced them open with the spears. There was no sign of activity from Ydraxis or his honor guard, but there was a strange, muffled noise, like a voice or a radio.

"Wait a minute," said Pike. He pulled out his broken communicator. A faint female voice could just be heard over a considerable amount of static.

" – _respond immediately. I repeat, this is Lieutenant Uhura to Captains Kirk and Pike. If either of you can hear me –_ "

"We can hear you, Lieutenant," said Pike.

" _Thank God, Captain_ ," said Uhura. " _Is Captain Kirk there with you, sir?_ "

"He's safe and well," said Pike. "I take it the disruption over here is due to the efforts of the _Enterprise_?"

" _It's the work of both_ Enterprises, _Captain Pike. We've disrupted the shielding and the computer mainframe for now, but we still can't seem to get a transporter lock onto you both. We need you to shut down the central computer from the inside._ "

"We haven't seen a computer core here, Lieutenant," Kirk chimed in.

" _It's good to hear your voice, Captain Kirk. We've managed to locate you on our sensor scans, and we believe there's a computer room halfway down the hallway you're in now, on your left._ "

Kirk and Pike ran down the corridor. Sure enough, there was a door, and by using the spears as levers, they gained access to a room filled with computer banks. The technology seemed strikingly advanced in some ways, bizarrely antiquated in others.

"This must be the heart of the computer," said Pike. "Come on, we need to set it to overload."

Both captains worked quickly. Although the controls were unfamiliar, with a little guesswork and the occasional blow from a spear, they soon seemed to inflict further damage on the computer. Smoke started to rise from one of the computer banks.

"About what I said – " began Kirk, still frantically tapping at a control panel as he spoke.

"It's alright," said Pike. "Really. You were trying to save my life, and you bought us the time we needed for our ships to launch their attack."

"But what I said about your future – "

"You didn't say anything that I didn't already know."

That stopped Kirk in his tracks. Pausing in his efforts, he turned to look at Pike. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if it's been the same with you, James, but I've found you can't command a starship for more than a few months without stumbling onto some unprecedented temporal anomaly. I've had more than a few encounters with time travel, visions of the future and such like. One in particular stuck with me. But I don't need to tell you what I saw, do I? Because you've seen that future too." Pike was still tapping at the controls, moving between the computer terminals as he spoke. Smoke was now billowing from several of the computer banks in the room. "You've seen me in that chair, after the accident."

"You know what's going to happen to you?" Kirk could scarcely believe it.

"I've known for years," Pike said softly. "Ever heard of a time crystal?" Kirk shook his head. "I had to touch one, once. And just for a moment, I was there, in that future, experiencing that pain."

"How do you carry on?"

"The same way you do."

"What do you mean?" asked Kirk.

"I've been watching you since I came aboard your _Enterprise_ , Captain Kirk. I've seen the way you lead. For men like you and me, words like honor, and duty, are not just words. They give us meaning. They define how we live our lives from day to day, minute to minute. I'm a Starfleet officer. I'm proud to be one. Each day I put on this uniform and give a part of my life to serve the people of the Federation. One day – maybe one day soon, now – that's going to cost me dearly. But I'll go on serving as long as I can, and I'll save some lives on the way.

"And you know, even when the accident happens – which I know it will, I know there's no way to prevent it – but even then, I still want to go on serving. Because even when I'm in that chair, I believe that I can still make a difference."

Kirk could hardly get the words out. "And you've never told anyone about what you've seen?"

"How could I put that burden on someone?" asked Pike. "Number One, Spock ... I can't ask them to bear the weight of that. So thank you. You're the first person I've ever been able to talk to about it."

The largest computer bank in the room burst spectacularly into flames.

"We'd better get out of here!" said Kirk.

Both men ran for the door. They leapt into the corridor and threw themselves to the floor as a spectacular explosion filled the room behind them. A thick cloud of smoke billowed out.

"We need to leave, now," said Pike. He reached for his communicator. "Are the shields down yet? Can you transport us out?"

Scotty's voice answered this time. " _Aye, Captain Pike. We have a lock on the both of you._ "

Number One cut in. " _Our transporter has been repaired, Mr Scott – we can now beam out Captain Pike. It's best we get both captains back aboard their own ships. This pocket of spacetime is collapsing in on itself and our vessels need to leave the centre of the anomaly immediately._ "

The two captains dusted themselves off and stood ready. "It's been an honor, Captain Pike," said Kirk.

"It's been a pleasure, Captain Kirk," said Pike. "Take care of the _Enterprise_ for me – and take care of Spock." He pressed the communicator pad. "Number One, Mr Scott – energise."

The bright glow of the transporter energy enveloped both men and they faded from view as the corridor was rocked by explosions and sparks flew from every direction.

Amid the noise, a voice still rang from the speakers. " _Nooooo!_ " cried Ydraxis.


	14. Chapter 14

Kirk raced from the turbolift to the captain's chair. "Mr Scott, report!"

"The anomaly's collapsing," said a weary Scotty, stepping out of the chair so the captain could take his place. "I dinna know what you did over there, but it's done the trick. That space station's crushed in on itself." The ship rocked, and Mr Scott grabbed the captain's armrest to stop himself from falling.

"We need to get away from this central pocket," said Kirk. "It may have been the eye of the storm before, but it's about to become ground zero. Mr Sulu, turn us around, and get us out of here at full impulse."

"Aye, aye, Captain," said Sulu, and laid in a course.

"The other ship is moving in the opposite direction, Captain," said Chekov. "Should I attempt to contact them?"

"Let them go, Mr Chekov," said Kirk. "We need them to get back to their own time – not come to ours."

The _Enterprise_ shook as it tore through the gravitational distortions.

"How much more of this can we take, Mr Scott?" asked Kirk.

"Not much!" cried Scotty.

Suddenly, the crew were thrown forward. Some flew out of their seats. But as they scrabbled back to their stations, a calm had fallen over the bridge. The anomaly had disappeared. The gravitational distortions had gone. The _Enterprise_ was back in the Vastan system. And there were no other ships in range.

...

_Captain's log, Stardate 5996.9. Our relief efforts on Vastan III have been successfully completed. The colonists are now able to complete their repairs by themselves, and there have been no further gravitational distortions. The_ Enterprise _is now_ en route _to Starbase Six for some much needed R &R._

Kirk entered the sickbay. The change from a few days ago was striking. Now there was only one patient, sitting on the bed nearest to the door. McCoy, who had been sitting at his computer terminal, saw the captain and came over.

"How's your patient, Bones?" asked Kirk.

"Well, he refuses to follow instructions and rest," complained McCoy. "He seems incapable of following his physician's advice."

Spock looked across at McCoy from his sick bed. "Doctor, had I attempted to follow the last piece of advice you gave me, I would have had to insert the report I had compiled on alternative treatments for Vulcan head trauma, into a sensitive part of my own anatomy."

Kirk chuckled. "I think he's on the mend, Bones."

"You might be right, Jim. I'm going to leave you two to it, before I say something else I regret." Suppressing a grin, McCoy went into his office.

Kirk stood beside Spock's bed. "How are you feeling, Spock? Really?"

"I believe I am recovering, Captain. I will be fit for duty in three, perhaps two days."

"That's not what I'm asking, Spock," Kirk said gently. "How are you _feeling_?"

"As you know, Captain, I am not inclined to dwell on my own emotional responses. I have however learned, from long experience around humans, that it can be advantageous to examine one's own emotions honestly in order to better determine the most logical course of action."

"Was that remark almost complimentary about humans, Mr Spock?" asked Kirk.

"Almost, Captain," agreed Spock.

"And what does your honest examination reveal, Spock?"

"Two emotions predominate, Captain. Firstly, relief. When I experienced this incident as a lieutenant, I saw myself on the verge of dying. When I left this _Enterprise_ to return to Captain Pike's, I feared that without my supply of T-negative blood, my older self would not survive."

"That's why you were so shocked on the bridge," said Kirk. "You knew what was about to happen."

"Indeed, Captain. I apologise for my lapse in emotional control."

"Under the circumstances, Mr Spock, I'd suggest you exercised extreme emotional control. But why didn't you tell me what was going to happen?"

"I have reviewed your mission logs, Captain. You already understand the reason. I knew that, from the events I had already seen unfold, you and Captain Pike would together destroy Ydraxis and the anomaly. I could not take the chance of altering those events and risking the lives of hundreds of colonists."

"Not even at the cost of your own life," said Kirk. He thought for a moment. "You said there were two emotions. What was the second?"

"It was sorrow." Spock looked down. "Although I had feared this day's arrival for many years, I had hoped, when it came, that I would see Captain Pike again, one more time."

"He would have liked that, Spock," said Kirk. "You know, the last thing he asked me to do was to look after you."

"I had hoped, perhaps, that I could warn him, about the accident," said Spock.

"You weren't worried about the implications for the timeline?" asked Kirk.

"For that I might have taken the risk, Captain."

Kirk sat sideways on the next bed in the sickbay. "You don't need to feel guilty, Spock. Pike already knew about the accident."

Spock frowned. "That seems highly unlikely."

"He mentioned an incident. Something to do with a time crystal – does that ring any bells?" Spock raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, he'd had a vision, a flash, of his future after the accident. He knew what was coming, Spock. And he faced the future anyway, and carried on being an exemplary officer. Just like you did."

"Then there was never a hope of saving him?" Spock asked, almost to himself.

"No, Spock, you already saved him, when you took him back to Talos IV, so that the Talosians could help him to live out the rest of his life there without pain," said Kirk. "But perhaps there is something more we can do."

...

It was late that evening. Kirk was in his quarters, a glass of Saurian brandy beside him as he worked on a classified memo to Starfleet Command.

_Subject: General Order Seven._

_General Order Seven specifies that "No vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit Talos IV". I appreciate the reasons for that, given the powerful telepathic abilities of the Talosians. But a recent incident has persuaded me that Starfleet should relax the order, for the benefit both of the Federation, and of Fleet Captain Christopher Pike. Captain Pike, now resident on Talos IV, served with honor throughout his career in Starfleet. His dedication to duty and service was the defining feature of his career. And it seems to me that, with some adjustments by Starfleet, he could yet continue that service – remotely._


End file.
